Chapter 17 Lina #2
I looked at him. Really looked. And I felt a warmth in my chest that had nothing to do with the attraction I felt and everything to do with a connection I couldn’t name or place.
But I couldn’t pull up any memories of his face or his voice or his touch, even though my soul seemed to recognize all three.
“No,” I admitted, and then I remembered. “There was a woman when I woke up. She was standing by my IV with a syringe. She wasn’t wearing a uniform.”
Both Knox and Dr. Hartley went still.
“What woman?” Knox demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
“I don’t know. Dark brown hair, ponytail. She looked panicked when she saw I was awake and she ran.”
Knox was already moving toward the door. “Lock down the hospital. No one leaves until we find her.”
“Knox,” Dr. Hartley called after him. He stopped, turning back. “I need to examine Luna first. And we need to do blood work. If there was a woman with a syringe near her IV...”
She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to.
My blood ran cold. Someone had been trying to hurt me. Someone had been standing right next to me with a syringe while I was unconscious and vulnerable and completely unaware. If I hadn’t woken up when I did...
Knox’s expression turned murderous. “You think someone was trying to hurt her.”
“I think we need to check her immediately.”
He stood there for a moment, clearly torn between hunting down the mysterious woman and staying with me. Finally, he pulled out his phone and barked orders into it, telling someone named Hunt to lock down the hospital and find a brunette woman who didn’t belong there.
The next hour was a blur of tests and examinations.
Blood draws, brain scans, reflexes tests, memory assessments.
Through it all, Knox stayed glued to my side, his hand always touching some part of me.
My shoulder, my arm, my hand, my knee. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from maintaining physical contact.
“Her memory loss appears to be temporary,” Dr. Hartley finally announced, looking at a chart.
“The brain scans show no permanent damage. Based on the bloodwork results and her symptoms, I believe this is a form of retrograde amnesia brought on by the trauma of her delivery combined with what was in that syringe. Results say it’s some sort of sedative - just in case, throw away your daughter’s milk.
Wait for her to nurse. Luna’s memories should return gradually, but I can’t say how long it will take. Days, weeks, possibly longer.”
Knox exhaled slowly. “But they will return?”
“I have every reason to believe so, yes.”
I watched this exchange, fear churning in my stomach. “Delivery? What delivery?”
Knox and Dr. Hartley exchanged a look that made my stomach drop.
“Maybe you should explain,” Dr. Hartley said gently, nodding at Knox. “She needs to hear it from you.”
She left the room, closing the door behind her, and suddenly it was just me and this gorgeous stranger. My pulse quickened. My palms grew sweaty.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence and trying to keep my voice steady. “We know each other?”
He laughed, but it was hollow. Pained. He sat down on the edge of my bed, close enough that our knees touched.
“Yeah, Lina. We know each other.”
“And you’re my... mate?” The word felt foreign on my tongue. “What does that even mean?”
He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s... complicated. But the short version is that I’m a werewolf. And you’re my mate. My other half. The person I was born to love.”
I waited for the punchline. When it didn’t come, I laughed. “Right. And I’m the Queen of England.”
“You’re the Luna of Ravenshollow Pack, actually. Which is pretty close.”
He wasn’t laughing.
I studied his face, looking for any sign that he was joking. Any hint that this was all some elaborate prank. But his gray eyes were deadly serious, filled with a pain that made my chest ache.
Either this man was insane, or I had woken up in a world where werewolves existed. Neither option was particularly reassuring.
“You’re not kidding.”
“No.”
“Werewolves are real.”
“Yes.”
“And I’m married to one.”
“Yes.”
“And we have...” I tried to remember what he’d said earlier. “Kids?”
His expression softened, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Three. Twins, Rowan and Thea, they’re five. And our baby girl. She was born a month ago.”
The world tilted.
I had three children. Children I didn’t remember conceiving, carrying, birthing. Children who would look at me and expect their mother and get... this. A blank faced stranger wearing their mother’s skin.
Terror clawed at my throat.
“A month ago?” I screeched. “I’ve been unconscious this whole time?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “There were complications. You almost died. They had to put you in a medically induced coma to help you heal. You were supposed to wake up after a few days, but...” His voice cracked. “It’s been a month, Lina. A month without you.”
I stared at him, my mind reeling. “This is insane,” I muttered.
“I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“You think?” I threw my hands up. “I don’t even know my own name!
You’re telling me werewolves exist, I’m married to one, we have three kids together, and I’ve been in a coma after nearly dying in childbirth.
That’s not a lot. That’s my entire existence being flipped upside down in the span of five minutes. ”
He reached for my hand, and despite my panic, I let him take it. His fingers intertwined with mine and that warmth in my chest spread again, calming me despite my best efforts to stay alert.
“I know,” he said softly. “And I’m so sorry. But I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. And I’m going to help you remember. Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I’ll be right here.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to do. This was fucking nuts. And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, the door burst open.
People flooded into the room. A man who looked remarkably similar to Knox, same dark hair and build but with green eyes. Another man with red hair and tattoos covering his arms. And an elderly woman who moved faster than someone her age should be able to.
“Lina! Oh, my sweet girl!” The elderly woman grabbed my face in her hands, tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. “You’re awake! Thank the heavens, you’re finally awake!”
I flinched at the contact but forced a smile onto my face. Forced my body to relax. Because these people expected me to know them, expected me to be happy to see them, and showing fear would only make everything worse.
“Sarah, give her some space,” Knox said gently.
“Space? SPACE? I’ve been waiting a month for this child to open her eyes and you want me to give her space?” The woman named Sarah swatted at him without looking. “You hush.”
The tattooed man snorted. “Told you she wouldn’t listen.”
“Hunt, not helping,” Knox growled.
“Never claimed I was helpful, Alpha.”
The man who looked similar to Knox stepped forward, his green eyes warm. “Hey, Lina. I spoke with Dr. Hartley. I’m Noah, Knox’s better looking brother.”
“You wish,” Knox muttered.
“I don’t need to wish. I have mirrors.”
“And delusions, apparently.”
I watched their exchange with wide eyes, my head swiveling back and forth. These people clearly knew me, but I couldn’t place any of them. Too many names and faces and expectations made me feel suffocated, cornered, overwhelmed in every possible way.
“She doesn’t remember us,” Knox said quietly, and the room went still. “The doctor says it’s temporary, but right now... she doesn’t know who any of us are.”
Sarah’s face crumpled. “Oh, sweetheart. Oh, my poor girl.”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly, hating the devastation in her eyes. “I mean, it’s not okay, but the doctor said my memories will come back. Eventually. Probably. Hopefully.”
“Wow, that’s reassuring,” Hunt, the red-head, said dryly.
Knox’s brother elbowed him. “Read the room, idiot.”
“I’m trying to lighten the mood!”
“Try harder.”
“Boys,” Sarah snapped, and both grown men immediately shut up. She turned back to me, her weathered hands patting my cheek. “You just focus on getting better, you hear me? Everything else will sort itself out.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to do. But then a thought hit me-
“Where’s the baby?”
Sarah smiled fondly, nodding in reassurance. “She’s staying with me. Knox’s mother wanted to spend some time with her, so I was able to come visit you today. But she’s fine, don’t worry. She just sleeps and eats, and she doesn’t even cry that much. She’s a little angel.”
I had to swallow around the lump on my throat, thinking about the baby I’d birthed.
I didn’t know how to feel, really. I didn’t know if I was capable of being a mother right now.
I was already overwhelmed by all the discoveries today, so to become a full-time, actual mom that had to take care of others?
While I couldn’t even take care of myself? It fucking terrified me.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I - I don’t know when-”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Sarah interrupted. “You just focus on recovering your memories and getting stronger. Once you’re feeling better, we can talk about her. In the meantime, just know she’s safe and loved all around the clock by her grandmothers.”
I smiled as tears blurred my eyes. Fuck.
I felt like the biggest asshole, but I really couldn’t take care of another living being right now.
I couldn’t even fucking walk. I didn’t remember if any of my children had allergies, if they had fears or dreams. What if one of them died because I gave them peanut butter and they were deadly allergic to it?
My heart squeezed in my chest. It was too much to think about, too little time.
And, as if the gods had heard my fears and decided to test me, the sound of small feet running down the hallway filled the entire room. Then high-pitched voices calling out:
“Mommy! Mommy’s awake!”
My blood froze. The children.